Courage and Strength
by Skylark's Folly
Summary: Death isn't what it appears to be.
1. Chapter 1: Isolation

Aqua blue eyes peered curiously at the girl below the great beast as a tail swished in torment. The creature's only thoughts were on food and the fact that it hadn't eaten since the day before. A pale pink tongue poked its way out from the animal's mouth, slowly licking its lips as it watched. Finally, when it seemed that the girl wouldn't wake that way, the animal opened its mouth and let out a meow to wake her.

Blue eyes matched each other as the girl snapped awake with a groan. Her long blonde hair was matted slightly and her eyes seemed to have slight trouble adjusting to the light. Rubbing them softly she yawned before petting the cat that lay on her stomach.

"Morning, Mimi," she said to the cat as she stretched. "Is it time for your morning feeding?"

The cat meowed in response, as if saying yes to her question and moved to sit beside the girl on the bed. Boxing the girl lightly with her paw she urged the blonde to move and hurry to feed her empty stomach.

With a laugh the blonde quickly got up and motioned for the cat to follow her as she silently made her way down to the kitchen at the end of the hallway. Long, slender fingers ran lightly across the wall as she walked, thinking about the day that lay ahead.

The place was silent, as no one woke as early as the girl in the mornings, and as she walked the only sound that could be heard was her own footfalls as she moved. The lights were off but the lights of New York were enough to keep the room light enough for her to see as she moved about the apartment. The hall was long enough to pass many rooms as she went around the suite's interior to the room that was the kitchen.

The kitchen itself was quite big thought it was hardly used. The girl's mother, Allison, had sworn off cooking the second she'd married and as such only the girls and the cooks used the forgotten room. Just as most of the house was, the kitchen was light in color and airy as though to create the appearance of brightness in the house. The room still seemed cold, just as all the rooms did, just as cold as its owner.

Gracefully and silently the cat leaped to the counter and her owner, uncaring and unwilling enough to shoo her off, pulled out her bowl and filled it slowly with the food she liked. The cat, like all others, was finicky and only ate a certain brand. Much to Allison's dismay Mimosa craved only the cheap brand.

Though she'd been told many times not to pet the cat while eating, thin and delicate fingers ran themselves across the pet's silky and soft fur. A soft and light purr could be heard from the feeding animal as she hurriedly ate the food that had been placed into the metal bowl. The aqua-blue eyes were hidden behind double lids, closed in contentment and happiness. A small smile graced the girl's face at the cat's obvious praise to her for the food.

"Elizabeth?" The voice she'd known so well could almost be heard from the door as it once had on these days. "Why are you awake so early?"

"Mimi woke me again," she could almost hear herself saying, light and soft as her voice had once been.

Elizabeth didn't even turn her head to know that her father wasn't there, to know that he wouldn't be there. He'd been placed underground months ago. Stray tears leaked from her eyes but she refused for them to fall all the way down her face. Tears were weakness and weakness from an Adler is anything but good.

"Allison will have your head, you know," it was a familiar soft and lyrical voice that lulled Elizabeth out of her daze. "We're having brunch at our house this morning mind you."

The blonde didn't even have to turn to know that it was her younger sister standing behind her, watching her from the kitchen doorway. She could even see her sister, watching her, standing as straight as Elizabeth never could for their mother. Her poise and elegance seen from miles and miles away, and being admired that far too. Samantha was the perfect child, Elizabeth was the mistake.

"Morning Samantha," the older daughter's voice rang out, sounding cold and distant compared to her sister's warm tones. "And when have I ever cared what she thinks about me?"

The answer was obvious and so the younger sister said nothing as the older turned to face her. They'd once been friends but things had changed and situations had separated them. To Samantha it was that her sister was never around to care about her. To Elizabeth the problem was that her sister was too much like their mother. Either way it could be seen that the two girls no longer were as close as they'd once been.

The oldest just stared down her sister and said nothing to her as the two held gazes for a second. After a moment or two, Mimosa seemed to break the hanging tension that swirled throughout the room. Rubbing her head against her owner's arm she meowed in her soft voice that she wasn't finished with her food but that there was none in her bowl. Elizabeth turned at the movement against her before apologizing softly to her pet and pulling out more food for her, placing the morsels in the bowl for the cat before petting the purring beast once more.

It was at this sight that Samantha turned on her heal to leave, suddenly not wanting the glass of water she'd woken for. Her sister had spoiled that appetite for her. Would her sister be struck dead for showing her any sort of love? Any sign that the eldest cared anything about the youngest? Samantha had often wondered about it when watching Elizabeth do just about anything.

She was curled in her bed before she let the forbidden tears that stung at her eyes to fall. Her sister had obviously shown that she cared more about the beast then her own flesh and blood. That fact not only disgusted Samantha but brought more realization to the fact that Allison had been stressing to her all along. Whatever had happened to her sister had changed her while she was gone. She was more like the beast that she cared for than her old self.

Morning came faster that she'd wanted it to and soon Elizabeth had returned back to her room to watch the sun rise. The beautiful event taking place and she had the front seat view, the box seats, for the colorful work that stretched and curved through the skyline that she'd once called hers. The view seemed like nothing to her now, she'd seen better now, but this view wasn't hers alone. Her father had watched it every morning while preparing for the long and hard work day that always seemed to lie ahead of him.

The amount of sleep his oldest daughter didn't need surprised him at first but he'd gotten over it and had enjoyed the company in his early morning routine. Once he had said that the apartment was too silent in the mornings, Elizabeth now knew how he'd felt. Of all those in the house he hadn't thought her a monster or at least hadn't called her one to her face. Every morning he'd still kiss her on the forehead and tell her he loved her as he had for years before the now truth was known. He'd loved her then and loved her when she left, waving to him from the doorway. Elizabeth could say that she'd seen the only Adler male in the house cry the day that she left, that being a memory she'd never forget.

As the sun peaked it's way over the horizon, delicate hands wrapped around a chain that hung from her neck, around gold as delicate as her hands. At the end of the chain a small pair of what appeared to be slippers had once hung for many, many years but now in its place lay an old locket. Inside the locket was an old picture, her father and her mother when they were happy, her sister and her when they'd at least spoken more than two sentences.

Did she know that their growing apart was her fault? Yes. Did she blame herself for her sister's reactions to her change? No, she blamed her uncaring mother. The woman had changed over the time that she'd been married. It killed Elizabeth that the lady would call her own flesh and blood, her own daughter a monster the day that she had to leave. She couldn't help who or what she was. It was a part of her that wouldn't and couldn't be dispelled, not that she'd wanted. So when a cure came, Elizabeth turned it down. Allison only seemed to sweep the fact that her own daughter was different and no one knew about her "condition." Just the way Allison had wanted it.

A soft mewing brought pale blue eyes to the floor to meet those of aqua as Mimosa leaped up onto her owner's lap. The cat stretched against her owner's pajama clad legs before curling up into her lap for a nap. The owner smiled at the animal before lightly stroking her, provoking a soft hum to escape the cat.

Still the girl looked out at the skyline, colors still squeezing through as morning came to the busy city. Down on the street she knew shops were opening and that probably the caterers were hustling to get to the open markets that came in the mornings for the food that her family would soon be eating with all of their close friends. She tried not to shudder at the thought of all who would be there and all who she would have to talk to. She didn't like crowds but still was required by Allison to do such, what the older lady called, social events that showed that the girl was elegant and dignified.

Elizabeth was dignified and elegant in her own right, her movements oozing fluidity and cat-like strides. Her sister was good to compare her to the cat, her movements seeming almost identical. Her eyes were the same icy color as her mother's, a fact that she detested more than her mother herself. Her blonde hair had matched that of her father's and in her own right Elizabeth had taken his tall stature rather than her sister and mother's small one. She pretty much towered over the both of them, a fact that was both envied and wanted by the two shorter women. She was thin but not a stick. Could eat just about anything and barely gain a pound, a really enviable asset to every woman she met. To her these things didn't matter though, to Elizabeth people would only see so deep past her looks before they didn't like her.

She was too opinionated to be a good and dignified lady. Too smart to be considered what guys her age thought was datable. Too much of a prude to be the slut, another thing guys wanted and she refused to ever step anywhere near being. She preferred books and music to the comfort of people, something that her father had had and her mother had resented. Elizabeth use to joke that it was because her father spent more time in his library than with his wife. It was the truth too.

Noises stirred down the hall and Elizabeth figured it to be the cooks working hard and furiously on the brunch that needed preparation for the handful of well to do people that were supposedly lucky enough to come and look at it. No one ate much at these events. To everyone there Elizabeth looked like a pig and she actually didn't eat all that much on most days.

A knock on the door jerked Elizabeth from her half daze and staring at the door for a moment she figured it to be their maid, coming by with her outfits for the day. A small sundress for the brunch, complete with gloves and matching heels, another small dress for what Allison called socializing, it was more like gossiping with the other ladies, and finally her ballet outfit. Elizabeth wasn't sure if she'd ever do ballet after her father's death but apparently Allison had made that decision for her.

"Just leave the clothes on the bed," she said before the lady had opened the door, scaring the older maid a little. "And I'm sorry to scare you."

Most of the staff was scared of her, a fact that she credited her mother well on, though it didn't bother her. Most probably thought that she'd been away at rehab for part of the time she was gone, the rest of the time visiting family members or on vacation, neither story was true however. She'd been at school as awkward as it sounded. Her mother was embarrassed about sending her daughter to a boarding school? Yes but the reasons were understandable. Still Elizabeth rolled her eyes at the maid's behavior before sending her away.

She looked at the clothes for a moment before making up her mind. She would wear the first dress but not the second, she'd just wear jeans to the galleries. No one would notice anyways, she was rarely ever around when it came to the petty gossip of the old ladies. None of the stuff they discussed mattered to her in the first place. Elizabeth still wasn't sure if she just survived off of the money that the girls' father had left or if she actually held a job. That alone was a huge mystery to the oldest daughter.

Time was growing closer and closer to the time of the brunch that her mother was hosting but Elizabeth still sat with a book in her hand. Engrossed in the plight of Hamlet and the insanity of Ophelia, she didn't even have any notice of time. It wasn't until she heard the doorbell ring that she realized what time it was and cursing she hurriedly dressed for the meal that she was very much dreading.

As she walked down the stairs to the room where the little get together was being held she realized just how short her dress was and began playing with the end of it. The dress was white with pale blue flowers on the material; she wasn't sure if she should have worn it or smelled it. Her white heels clicked as she descended the stairs and although everyone seemed happy to see her she could still see her mother's anger radiating at the girl's lateness.

Elizabeth tried not to cringe at her mother's glare as she continued down the long staircase that lead to the main room. It was rarely used on a normal basis but when the time came for a social gathering the room was the main place of stay for everyone who'd come. Unfortunately, the only entrance was the staircase that she was on. Just as many times before she made it to the last step, and just as with many, many times before she tripped as she hit it.

Her mother seemed to be even more disappointed by this and Elizabeth could see Samantha having to hold back her laughter. Letting out a small one of her own she stood and dusted herself off.

"Sorry to have caused a scene," she said quickly and quietly before blushing deeply and darkly.

People seemed to just laugh it off as she quickly withdrew from the scene that had taken place. She'd never liked people staring and in that instant they had been. A lot of them still were. She retreated to a corner as quickly as possible, face hidden by the long hair that was still down. Before she got to her corner, however a hand stopped her and she instantly took a defensive stance until the scent hit her.

"Always ready to attack I see," came the honey voice that she had known for many, many years. "And you obviously still know how to make an entrance."

The voice was sarcastic but still sweet and as Elizabeth turned she found herself face to face with the one girl in this world who could sympathize with her.

Taylor Carnes was only two years older than Elizabeth was but in looking at her it would be wondered if she was the same age. Just as Elizabeth was light Taylor was her complete foil of darkness. Her long dark brown hair fell straight past her shoulders unlike the soft curls of her friend's. As Elizabeth's eyes were a pale blue, Taylor's were a dark and deep brown.

"Still the same I see," Elizabeth said her hands flexing by instinct. "How's things at the school?"

"Wouldn't know," came Taylor's honey voice. "Mom and Dad called me back about three weeks ago."

The younger girl nodded before looking up to catch her sister's eye from across the room before looking away. Once again the youngest of the girls was surrounded by the superficial friends who cared little about her. Elizabeth knew this fact all too well, she was once one of them, but Samantha had no clue.

"She doesn't know the truth yet," Taylor said following her friend's gaze. "Does she?"

Elizabeth shook her blonde curls out before sighing and looking over to where her mother was staring right at her. She wasn't doing as she was wanted and she wasn't planning on following orders.

"Someone's got to tell her sometime, Val."

Taylor's nickname made Elizabeth look at her friend before shaking her head. Not around here could she be called that.

"Don't call me that here," she said before scratching the back of her hand. "You know better than that."

The brunet shrugged before sitting on the arm of one of the couches almost gracefully. Though it was looked down upon, she didn't seem to care or move from her spot as she looked around the room. None of this interested her. She was too interested in other things.

From across the room, Samantha's eyes watched her sister and Taylor talk as though they were the best of friends. That fact caused the blue eyes narrow, Elizabeth was her best friend, she had been for many years before she even knew that Taylor Carnes existed. She should be the person that was talking to her sister, the person getting her to smile.

Instead of thinking on it she turned back to her friends, the ones she cared so much about, and tried to forget about what she'd seen with her sister. Tuning herself back into the conversation wasn't all that hard, they were just talking about the party that night. She was going but that was a given.

"So, Samantha," one of her friends, Lauren, said with an actually open and friendly smile. "Do you want me to come over so that we can get ready together?"

They had a tradition, one as old as their births, the two girls got ready for every party together. Samantha smiled at the thought of the before party fun that the two had.

"Of course I do," she said before nudging the nicest girl in the group. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Elizabeth had slipped out soon after the food had been cleared, not wanting to listen to the pointless chatter that did little more than cause her head to hurt beyond anything. Leaning against one of the halls in the upper area of the apartment, she stared at the ceiling as she tried to remember what it felt like to be at the school. She could hear the constant chatter and hum that seemed to come from every room. She could smell all the students, girls with their perfumes and guys with their aftershave. She could even almost feel the texture of the walls under her fingertips. Opening her eyes though only brought disappointment, she wasn't there and she wouldn't be ever again.

"What's a pretty girl like you doing alone in the hall?" The male voice hadn't interrupted her thoughts but rather the strong smell of his aftershave. "You shouldn't have to stare at walls, something nicer perhaps."

Elizabeth kept her eyes closed in hopes of him getting bored and leaving. She didn't have the time or patience to deal with her sister's idiot of a boyfriend. When his scent hovered closer she snapped her eyes open to find his only inches from hers.

"Touch me," she warned almost softly. "And I'll make sure you don't live for more than a few seconds."

She was being serious and her voice's harshness reflected her sentiments. Warning shown deep in her eyes as a more feral side seemed to take over but the boy, Kyle, didn't seem to notice.

"You don't mean it baby," he whispered before reaching out to touch her arm.

Before Elizabeth could strike a scream hit her ears. The scream was so familiar that when others followed she could still hear her sister's scream echoing through her mind. Shoving the boy off her harshly she ran down the hall and the steps, not sure what she'd find when she got down.


	2. Chapter 2: Pain

No matter what it had been that Elizabeth had suspected to see when she reached the steps, the metallic smell of blood stopped her in the hall. She had to hold her hand over her nose at the sharp, distinct smell of it to keep her from fully feeling the effects of the nausea it brought onto her. The closer she got to the main room the stronger the smell and the nausea in her stomach got. The young blonde didn't know what she'd do when she got there or even if she'd be able to make it without passing out. Still she tried and struggled down the halls.

If the smell wasn't bad enough the screams pierced through her ears and the sounds of panic was strong coming from the room. She couldn't focus on one distinct voice through it all or know just how many people were running from that room. All she knew was that to her sensitive ears it was the loudest thing she'd heard since a ball game or war zone. Either way the pain was horrible.

Even through the pain that she kept feeling, Elizabeth struggled on. She seemed to appear normal but on the inside the pain was excruciating. Through all of it she ignored the pain until suddenly all sound stopped. Everyone was out of hearing distance. Still she heard a distinct dripping sound and a whimpering coming from the room. The dripping she suspected to be the sharp scent of blood she smelled and the whimpering was too soft to tell who it belonged to.

From the top of the stairs she couldn't see anyone at all in the room but she could hear someone trying to calm down whoever was whimpering and in looking closer she knew that there was someone behind the stairs. Turning for a closer look she found her sister to be the person whimpering and Taylor to be the person doing the comforting. Samantha was covered in blood and it seemed to keep pouring from her clenched fists. Taylor kept saying something about unclenching them and how she needed to but it was obvious that the younger Adler wasn't listening to a word that the older girl was saying.

It was almost less than a second before Elizabeth was next to the two people. Her hand touched her sister's clenched ones before coaxing them open slowly to reveal what was causing the blood on her sister's hands. Extending from the ends of her four fingers were almost cat-like claws with four matching pin pricks on the inside of the delicate hands. The claws were small enough to seem innocent but long enough to not be human. She was obviously like her sister in more ways than she knew.

"Some family," the whispered voice of Taylor came almost hushed to the point of unhearing but both Adlers heard her perfectly.

When Elizabeth's ice blue eyes met her sister's normally honey ones she was surprised to see the cat like pupils staring back at her. She opened her mouth to say something but shut it when she noticed her sister's stare. Her canine teeth were elongated and sharper than a human's would be naturally. Elizabeth could only think of one thing that would make her sister seem more like a cat but didn't want to look for the tail. Still it puzzled her that her sister, who hated cat with a passion, would look so much like one when the mutation would arise.

It was almost as though Mimosa could tell that something had gone wrong because at that instant the cat's soft fur could be felt brushing against her owner's leg, looking through her cat eyes at those of her owner's sister. Slowly Samantha's delicate hand reached out to the cat, her first sign of kindness to the beast since she was brought in, and stroked the area behind her ears softly.

"I look like you," Samantha's voice said softly. "Don't I girl?"

Mimosa gave a small mew of agreement before nuzzling her head against the hand stretched to pet her. The cat had always been a forgiving one but still she would look back to her mistress every few seconds to be sure that she wasn't getting jealous or anything.

Biting her lip to ignore the pain that she almost certainly knew would come Elizabeth stretched out on of her hands as if to show her sister the secret she'd kept hidden for years. There was no healer nearby so she looked at Taylor to signal that she'd need the shot again after she did what she needed to do.

"I want to show you something," Elizabeth said softly, almost unheard.

Samantha's cat eyes went to her sister's hand to figure out what exactly was going on. Elizabeth shut her own eyes and clenched her hand into a fist before a muffled scream came from her mouth. Extending from between her knuckles were what appeared to be three long blades but what was spectacular about them wasn't the fact that they were dangerous. It was the lustrous shine the came from them, the glittering way that they cast light around the room. What did detour the beauty of it all was the look upon Elizabeth's face. The look was one of pure pain that didn't seem to fade like the amounts of blood coming from her hand.

As quickly as they had appeared the blade vanished but the bleeding did not. For that Taylor quickly pulled a bottle of clear liquid from her purse along with a needle. Filling it quickly and tapping out all the air, she injected the oldest blonde with the solution before watching her hands heal themselves.

"Always happens," Elizabeth said to her sister's scared look. "Always heals with that stuff."

"How?" Samantha's voice was soft when she spoke and she still looked scared. "How did you?"

"It's as natural as breathing. With training everything about them becomes easier."

"You trained?" Samantha seemed surprised at the thought that her sister had ever been to a place where they were able to train such a curse. At least her sister's was a curse; hers just made her a cat.

"When I was gone for that long time," Elizabeth said with an almost defensive stance to her voice. "Yeah I wasn't away at some fancy boarding school. Well I was but I wasn't just learning Calculus, I was learning how to fight."

Samantha seemed more confused by this. Her mother had said that Elizabeth had asked to leave and go to some expensive boarding school in Europe. Now she was finding out that her sister was taken away for being what? A mutant? That didn't bother her as much as the fact that she'd been lied to did.

But why had her mother lied to her? It wasn't like her sister was the monster that she'd made her seem now that she knew the full truth. She was just a little different. But weren't they taught that being different and being themselves was the best thing in the world? Samantha was so confused by what her mother said and obviously did now. What had she been lead to believe?

"They'll know and be here soon," Taylor said to her friend. "I'm not exactly welcome with them."

Samantha caught the glance that passed between her sister and her sister's friend. The look that said we'll need to talk about this later. It was one that needed to be heeded and in the long run wasn't a bad thing to have to deal with. Her sister was just a little bit stricter than most people her age were. She'd always been that way. Wise beyond her years, that's what she'd been called by their father.

"Go," was the older sister's only response to her friend. "We'll talk later."

Elizabeth had never been a person to like secrets but she did know how to keep them. That made her valued to a lot of people that she normally wouldn't be. She didn't take that fact for granted; every secret she was told never left her lips. She generally forgot them afterwards.

Helping her sister up, Elizabeth was happy to notice that she had a nice healing factor and that all of the cuts in her hands had already healed closed. Her look was almost envious at that point. She had the ability but not the healing factor to use it. Instead she had hemophilia and wasn't able to stop bleeding, the shot itself was an injection of a person who did have a healing factor. It was his blood that was injected into her every time she needed her bleeding to stop.

"Who are they?" Samantha asked finally, after the two had walked in silence for a while. One little secret couldn't bring an end to the problems that the two of them had. "The people that Taylor was talking about?"

"The people from the school," was the only answer that Elizabeth could honestly justify as a good one. "They know when mutant's abilities surface and then come to offer training. It'll be good for you. Trust me."

Samantha turned to meet her eyes with her sister's ice blue and almost froze. Her sister's eyes were so much like their mother's, cold and almost harsh in look. It was just like Elizabeth to be able to freeze people out and it was her gaze that did just that. She herself wasn't a cold person but her gaze and her eyes made every thing and every one believe that she was. Then again with her recent behavior she was pretty cold.

"I do trust you," Samantha said, earning a look of skepticism from her sister.

"Sure you do," the older said before walking away, down the hallway to her room. "They'll be here soon. I'd pack what you need now."

Her words froze Samantha in her movement to the door. Her sister wasn't going? Why wouldn't she go? Weren't these people her friends? And if they weren't why in the world would she let her go alone?

"You aren't going?" her voice was soft and meek, why didn't her sister want to go?

"You wouldn't want me there."

That was the only response she got before her sister vanished around the corner. Samantha had to avert her eyes before opening her door quickly. She couldn't be seen crying. No Adler could be seen in tears. It wasn't proper.

She hadn't freaked out when the claws had slipped out? Of course she had but like most of her family her freak outs were contained inside of her. Did she freak out when the last thing she remembered was gripping Michaela's shoulders to yell at her? No, but she did freak out when she saw the look of terror on her friend's face and when she felt something extending from her hands. The feel of warm blood running down her fingers and her hands, the scream that ripped from her friend's throat, all of that played in her mind over and over again. The feel itself had been bad enough but to her it had been like feeling cotton under her fingertips for the first time. And the sound of her screams, now that sounded like nails on a chalkboard. That hurt so bad that she'd wanted to whimper and cover her ears. Everything had changed in that moment. She smelled the burning copper smell of blood hit her nose along with something so sweet she couldn't place it. What was wrong with her? Why had she enjoyed that so much?

A shiver broke down her spine and instead of doing what her sister had blatantly told her to do she laid her head on her pillow. She was vaguely aware that she was still covered in blood but she didn't care. She wasn't able to think about anything other than what she'd felt at that moment.

Just down the hall Elizabeth had her back pressed to the wall of her room, trying to steady her breathing. The professor had said that it would be hard to see it all again. To relive the exact moment when everything had taken place to her. The entire event had flashed before her eyes and she knew that the same was happening to Taylor at that moment as well.

The same feelings, the lust, the thrill, were returning to her and she had to shake her head to close off the feeling. There had been so much blood and it had looked so good to her. Nothing had ever looked so good to her in her life. She'd wanted to feel the blood running across her claws. She'd wanted to hear the scream herself coming from the destruction that she'd accomplished, not her little sister.

When her sister had asked if she was going, she knew for sure that she couldn't. They wouldn't welcome her like they did before, they'd fear her. She wasn't this way then so why was she now? Why did she crave the feel of blood? Why did she crave the screams? What was wrong with her?

Elizabeth let out a small whimper as she held her hands to her head. She couldn't feel this way, she wouldn't. She couldn't let this consume her. She wouldn't let herself fall into that trap. She couldn't. She had her sister to think about now. They both would have to be strong. And she was the role model, she couldn't fail. For either of their sakes.

After some time of debating what exactly to do, Elizabeth made up her mind. Looking in the mirror she wondered if she'd regret her choice later or if this would be one of the few she wouldn't.

"Why doesn't she just get the cure?" Allison's question nearly made Samantha cry as she felt alone with the people who'd come to get her. "I mean then she'd be normal."

"She is normal," the voice was kind but the woman's face seemed hurt and a little angry that the girl's mother would say something in front of her daughter like that. "And there's nothing to cure. She's not sick."

"Peace Ororo," the man's voice was calm and gentle and as Samantha looked at him she could feel a calming sense come over her. "We helped Elizabeth, Mrs. Adler, would you let us help Samantha as well?"

Allison huffed at the thought of another one of her children being a freak. Was it too much to ask to have normal children? She didn't like the thought that her children were monsters. Why did she even have them in the first place? That would be Percy's doing. As was sending Elizabeth away with these people, she wouldn't have let her child go if for anything.

"I want to go," Samantha said softly, voicing her opinion for the first time since the people showed up. "If they helped Liz they can help me." She turned her gaze to her mother, to the woman who had loved her all her life, but was shocked by the cold glare that was there.

"Your sister," Allison spat, not even remembering the people in the room. "Is nothing but a monstrous freak. Never speak of her in my presence."

Samantha prepared herself for a slap that never came and when she opened her eyes she was surprised by what she saw. Her mother's hand was halted mid air.

"Mrs. Alder," the man said, not so calm anymore in his tone of voice to her. "I would advise you not to strike your daughter for voicing her opinion. As for Elizabeth, she is not a monster or a freak. She is merely gifted, just as Samantha is."

The woman, Ororo as she had been introduced, almost looked murderous for the action that the mother had taken against her daughter. How could someone act so cruelly against something that she obviously knew nothing about?

"In any case," Allison said as she straightened her clothing out. "I will not allow you to take another one of my children from my household. It was not I who allowed you to take my oldest in the first place."

The man did not show any change but the woman did, looking almost stricken by the thought.

"Yes you will," came Elizabeth's voice from the steps. "You will let her go just as you let me."

The mother turned to her oldest with a look that could kill.

"And what makes you think that I would listen to you?" She spat at the girl, angered even more by her obvious rebellion. "You're no good to me anyways."

"Because," Elizabeth said taking a step towards her mother, which was rewarded by the oldest Adler taking a step back. "You're scared of me. Just as you are scared of all the other mutants in this room. So let Samantha go because you have yet to see me as the real monster."

Allison's face was one of pure shock as was Ororo's as they both stared at the oldest daughter before them. Never once had either of them heard her say something quite so menacing while seeming so perfectly calm as she had in that moment. Her eyes had turned even paler and seemed almost white in that moment but still Ororo could see the familiar signs of blood lust in them. This girl was turning out to be just like all the other ferals.

The professor shook his head before holding out his hand to the oldest daughter. Elizabeth took it but she was still looking at her mother the entire time that it seemed something was going on inside her head. Whatever it was it was private to the girl and no one got any out ward signs of whatever was going on.

"That is not needed Elizabeth," The Professor said as calmly as he always did. "Now Samantha are you packed?"

Samantha nodded before running up the stairs quickly before turning to look at Elizabeth with an almost grateful look. This look, unlike many that had passed between the two sisters, was reciprocated with a slight nod as if to say your welcome.

"You will be joining us?" The Professor asked, looking to Elizabeth as he spoke.

Squeezing his hand once, Elizabeth smiled down at him.

"Of course."


	3. Chapter 3: Caution

In New York hardly anyone had noticed or cared about the oldest Adler, Elizabeth. Things were much different when it came to the school that the girl had left behind when she returned. People had gotten to know her for who she was and had loved her for who she was. Her powers were not considered a curse but rather a gift. A destructive gift it may have been but one that was to be treasured nonetheless. The people there realized that fact and took her, just as her powers were, to be the treasure among them.

Leandra Jones knew that better than all of them. Of all the people in the old school she, and only she, could say that she knew Elizabeth better than the girl knew herself. The feeling was reciprocated though, as with Elizabeth the shy Leandra came alive around her friend. Seeing Elizabeth vanish when words of the older girl's father came almost lost the younger to the world. Still she somehow managed to survive without her friend.

Even still, when news spread through the gossip vine of the school that Elizabeth might be returning Leandra jumped at the chance. She had missed her friend more than anything during those years and, even though one, namely Taylor, would not be among them, at least one of the three would be returning. The prospect reawakened hope that maybe one day even Taylor would return. This she knew to be a false hope as she knew that one of her two best friends would probably never be welcomed with the same open arms that she or Elizabeth would have been welcomed with when or if she even returned.

The nineteen-year-old shook off these feelings though as she waited with some of her other friends for the return of her old best friend. She bounced twice on her toes in anticipation for what was to come. As she did so her long dark hair bounced in the ponytails that they had been placed in earlier that day.

"Please," she found herself begging as she looked at the much older man. "Please pick it up for me. You'll be in town anyways."

He just glanced at her with a grunt. She huffed slightly but at the same time knew that he probably would still get the cake for her. Logan always acted uncaring but she knew that when he returned he'd be carrying the cake, the exact cake, that she'd wanted through the door.

It had been an old tradition that she wasn't going to break. Every time one of the girls had to either go somewhere for a while or went on a mission with some of the older people, the three would gather in the oldest, Elizabeth's, room and eat cake. They didn't use any silverware and normally by the time they were done there was more icing on them than in their stomachs. This tradition even extended into a sleepover. Then when the girl returned, the same tradition would take place again.

Yes it was a little childish but Leandra wasn't about to give it up for one night.

Fingers intertwined in her hair as she waited for the car to arrive. Was she nervous? Yes. Was she scared? A little, she'd heard that Elizabeth's younger sister was coming with her. She'd never met the younger Adler but she'd heard rumors about her. She was supposedly exactly like Allison, the girls' mother, a bitch if there was one. Both family members had shunned the young mutant when she'd come to the school. Both family members had called her a freak to her face on so many occasions. Elizabeth had said that her sister just didn't understand, that she hadn't been there when most of everything that their family when through the big argument that resulted in Elizabeth attending the school.

She bounced from one foot to another, the slight cold getting to her a little. The sun had gone down and, just by logic, the area had gotten much colder than when she'd first started waiting. She wore her pajamas, as part of the tradition. Sure, she felt awkward standing out there alone, but she wasn't about to break the tradition just because she felt weird.

Long fingers stroked the silvery fur that lay upon the beast's back and purring noise was the only one that could be heard from the car. The man sat in the front, on the passenger side while the woman drove. Elizabeth stared in silence out the window. Was Samantha the only one who was even the slightest bit nervous?

She debated this while she continued to pet her sister's cat. She'd never understood the liking to such creatures. Still Mimosa caused great comfort to swell within Samantha. The cat seemed to trust her no matter what and, as a small pink tongue lapped slightly at one of Samantha's fingers, she knew that she did too. She'd have to look into getting a pet. She needed the companionship that this animal gave to her older sister.

With the thought of her sister, Samantha turned to look at the girl sitting beside her. Elizabeth always looked so calm, so composed. Yet at the same time there was something about her that almost seemed wild. Samantha knew that Elizabeth despised their mother but she was doing her proud as she sat there. So dignified in a right, still the defiance was seen there too. Elizabeth was the perfect daughter for their mother. Yet neither woman would admit to it.

It killed her to watch her sister at all. Comparing herself to the eldest wouldn't help her feel any better. In fact, she was positive that she was making things worse by doing so. Elizabeth had never known it, but Allison loved her. Samantha saw that easily. Not only did Allison love her but also so did Percy. Samantha may have her mother's love but she was more than certain that she never held her father's. She wasn't Elizabeth. She couldn't be Elizabeth. And now she'd never know her father because she wasn't what he wanted in a child. He wanted Elizabeth.

Everyone wanted Elizabeth. Everyone had seen that there was something special about her. It practically radiated off of her. When Elizabeth was younger people were drawn to her. She never had an absence of friends. She never had a lack of anything. Everyone wanted to know her and everyone wanted to be her friend. But Elizabeth hadn't wanted any of that. She'd just wanted to be alone all the time. What Samantha wouldn't have given to have all that her sister had. What she still wouldn't give to have any of the love that her sister had now.

It was a scenario that Samantha went through daily. Wondering what it would have been like to have had her sister's life. The daydreaming didn't make her feel any better. In fact on most of those days she felt worse. Dreaming didn't help her at all. Living didn't help much either. She could only just sit by and watch her sister. That's all that she could do. The only thing she could do.

"We're here."

The voice of the man practically made Samantha jump out of her skin and was upset to say that yes it showed. Elizabeth on the other hand showed no change at all. Her blank stare shifted to the front of the car and that was all. Once again Samantha found that she couldn't hold up to her sister. How was she suppose to? Elizabeth was practically the child her parents had always wanted.

Samantha chastised herself before feeling a brush against her mind and a sense of calm come over her. Confused, she looked around. She wasn't sure what was going on at all. Elizabeth looked at her for a moment before glaring up to the front. She seemed upset about something.

"Stay out of her head," the oldest said calmly and a little bit on the dark side. It caused Samantha to look at the man confused. Had he really been reading her mind?

The car pulled to a stop and Samantha found herself staring at a huge mansion. When Elizabeth had gone to school, she'd always pictured it as one of those stiff and slightly scary looking boarding schools. She'd never imagined the beautiful building that lay stretched before her. It didn't seem to faze Elizabeth, who went about carrying much more luggage than Samantha had ever thought her delicate looking sister could carry. It was all dropped though when someone burst through the door.

"Lizzie," the voice was slightly on the high pitched side and it made Samantha cringe slightly. "I couldn't believe it when they said you were coming back. I mean I could but at the same time I thought you were never coming back. Then I'd heard that your sister was coming with you and I never even knew you had a sister. She must be just like you. I bet she is."

The voice was rushed and the words came faster and faster. Samantha found herself struggling to keep up until she saw the small asian girl step away from her sister. She looked to be younger than Samantha was herself and that made her wonder. How old were most of the people who came here?

"Hi," the girl turned to Samantha. "You must be Elizabeth's sister. You two look so much alike. I'm Leandra."

Samantha went to stick her hand out for the girl to shake but was quickly engulfed in a hug. Feeling confused and slightly lost, she patted the girl's back awkwardly. She wasn't use to being hugged by strangers. Heck, she wasn't use to being hugged by anyone. That just didn't happen in her world. That just didn't happen in the Adler household.

"Wow," the girl, Leandra, said as she stepped back. "You're not as tall as your sister but you have the same nose. I can definitely see the resemblance. You two just look so much alike. I love your eyes! They are such a pretty shade of brown. I wish mine were that color."

And she kept rambling. Samantha was positive that she hadn't told the girl her name at all but she just kept talking. The Adler girl didn't even know what to say or do at all. She looked to her older sister for help but noticed that the girl was deep into conversation with the older man. She couldn't help but wonder exactly what was being said. She could make out bits and pieces of the conversation but Samantha couldn't honestly pay too much attention with all of Leandra's ramblings.

After a moment of the discussion, Elizabeth pulled herself away from the professor and the others. She never was suited for crowds. She wasn't suited for people at all. She just wanted to be by herself.

Sitting in the old gardens out back, she pulled one of her long legs in front of her. In some cases it could be seen as a defensive measure but in her case it was nothing more than a comfort. The defensive measure was her hands which rested around them. How she hated the claws that lay beneath her skin. How she hated the diamond structure that was her bones. She just wanted to be normal. She just wanted to be human. Things would just be so much easier to handle.

Pulling out her cell phone she dialed the number that she had always had memorized. It wasn't hard for her to memorize things. It was practically part of her mutation. The phone rang twice before it was picked up and the person answered.

"I may not know what lies before," Elizabeth said softly, speaking the code that only the other girl knew. "But I know the path that I've chosen."

"And I the way I must take," came the voice from the other side, a smile easily heard in the words. "What's it like?"

"Nothing's changed," Elizabeth said as a smile passed over her lips. "The old man is getting older and the weather witch is still just as protective as ever. The building is the same and so is Leandra."

A laugh could be heard on the other side and Elizabeth heard the other girl talking to her little sister on the other side. The movement was obvious over the phone and Elizabeth could guess that she caught her friend during her time of painting. Obviously her little sister had as well.

"Mika put that brush down," the voice said and Elizabeth laughed.

"I'll leave you alone," she said instantly, her smile changing to that of a sad one. "It sounds like you're busy Taylor."

This time the laughter came from Elizabeth's best friend and confidant. They had known each other so long that reading each other was second hand to the both of them. They just knew everything about themselves and the opposite. They were the foils of the other in every way.

"If the old bastard's there," Taylor's voice had a slight scowl to it but still a smirk in there as well. "Give him hell for me."

"I will."

"You'll what?"

Elizabeth turned at the new voice in the garden. The voice was gruffer than most that she'd heard and she was positive that no one could sneak up on her like that. No one had ever snuck up on her like that. Never.

"You're out a little late kid," the man standing behind her said as he seemed to look her over. "Curfew was a few hours ago."

Elizabeth stood to her full height, judging him as she did so. He was taller than her which was an accomplishment even for guys but not only that he seemed familiar. His scent was what sealed it in her mind. He was feral like her but not just any feral. His blood kept her alive most days.

"I think you are mistaken on a few things," Elizabeth said with a poise that would have made Allison proud. "Firstly I am not a kid. Secondly I have not had a curfew since I was sixteen. Thirdly I don't believe that you have authority over me as you haven't even introduced yourself yet. It's rather rude."

He didn't seem surprised by her obvious distaste for his treatment of her. Elizabeth hated being talked down to. She was an adult and demanded to be treated like one. Being treated like an animal she could handle, she'd gotten that from her mother since birth. Being treated like a child didn't dwell with her very well.

"I would like to know who exactly I am associating with," Her voice held some of the poison that her mother's did when she went in for the kill. Yes, she did make Allison proud at times.

"Name's Logan," the man said gruffly, not moving from his posture. "What's yours?"

"Elizabeth," she said before walking past him. She was tired of playing games for one day.

Samantha was livid. Once again her sister had left her alone to deal with everything. She'd been stuck alone with the chatterbox that was Leandra for a good thirty minutes before the old man had said that Samantha needed to find her room and get adjusted. He'd suggested that the two could talk in the morning. That was one conversation Samantha was not looking forward to. She wanted to go home. She wanted her old friends back.

So now she lay in her room. Alone and feeling more empty than ever in its dark interiors. She'd need paint if she was going to live in this room. White walls did nothing for her. They reminded her of a padded room and she wanted to scream at the top of her lungs when she was in such a room. A blue would do, she figured.

As for furniture, aside from a bed, a side table, and a set of drawers the room was empty. She'd need those as well Samantha figured as she looked around the room. She was making a mental list of what she'd need to make this bare and empty room livable.

About halfway through the list she heard swearing and someone crashing around in the room next to her. Curiosity overtook her and instantly her mind and body begged to know what was going on next door. Caution, however, told her otherwise. Curiosity killed the cat and she was currently too cat-like for her own comfort in knowing what the hell was going on. All she was getting was something about stupid broads and instantly she praised the girl who burned this guy. He sounded like he deserved it.

Closing her eyes to the world she found herself surrendering over to sleep and dreams. She dreamed that she was home and everything was okay. Her mother and Elizabeth were getting along. There amongst the happy family stood her father, smiling and laughing. If only dreams could become reality. If only.

Small feet padded through the halls of the school as the beast made its way through remembered areas. It had been so long. It had been so familiar. Blue eyes searched the area, familiarizing themselves with the old building that their owner had once loved so much. Maybe things would be as they were before. Maybe things would settle into the routine that she knew and loved. She hoped.

Food was not the priority this time as she prowled the dark and empty halls. Neither was companionship. Entering a wing that she had once known fairly well she scratched on the old door of her owner. The door opened and there stood her mistress. A smile graced the human's face as Mimosa padded through the door. Maybe things were returning to normal. Maybe things would be okay. Eventually.


	4. Chapter 4: Helplessness

She was spinning too fast. Too fast for her mind to keep up in any way that she tried, she was just moving far too fast. The room spun around her and she could only see the blurs in the mirrored walls. Her body was rotating too fast and everyone knew it. So her body hitting the floor was expected. The sound that came wasn't though. The sickening crack wasn't her bones, no it was the floor beneath her. Elizabeth wanted to blush. She wanted to apologize. She couldn't though. She'd be apologizing for being who and what she was. To apologize for that was like handing them a bone to taunt her with and that's all that the humans in the room needed, something that they could hold over her. She sat on the floor with her eyes closed and her legs drawn around her as she tried to calm. If she didn't her claws would slip out and then there would be way more problems than just trying to get a spin right. Her focus would once again be on staying alive and nothing else.

"Too fast," her teacher said in a tone that made Elizabeth wish her claws were out. She wanted to gut her so bad. She wanted to feel her bleed. This teacher wasn't staying hers for much longer. "You need to slow your turns down a little bit if you expect to keep your body going."

She meant about the weight. Elizabeth knew that she was heavier than the other girls. A bone structure made purely of diamond did that to a girl. She couldn't help what lie beneath her skin. She wished she could though. Once again Elizabeth was reminded of why she wished she wasn't herself. Once again she was reminded of the reason she wanted to be human. Rubbing her wrists as though they hurt her she stood without the use of them and moved to leave. She wouldn't take being treated like dirt by some unknown. She couldn't even remember this teacher's name and she sure as hell wasn't planning on ever remembering it. Didn't matter anyways now, the lady wasn't going to be her teacher anymore. Elizabeth was finding a new one.

Slamming the door behind her, the sound of shattering followed her. She'd closed the door too hard again. That was what happened when she was mad. No that was what happened when she was ticked. She was beyond mad, she was probably beyond ticked. Elizabeth Adler was plain pissed off. All she wanted was to turn right back around and give the woman a reason to fear mutants. Maybe then she wouldn't treat them like dirt. Then again, who was to say that she would be alive after she was done. Elizabeth wasn't certain that she wanted the lady breathing. Six feet below sounded like the best place for the bitch. She needed to calm down. If she didn't she'd regret whatever she did next.

"Pissed again?"

The question would have made any normal human jump but Elizabeth wasn't human, nor was she normal. Instead she turned slowly to face the girl who had spoken to her. Pale blue eyes took in the girl that she had known since her third year of living. Miss Stacey McKenna was every bit the Irish girl that her last name suggested. Long red hair that normally fell down to her mid-back was currently held tightly into the signature ballerina bun that gave away what they constantly strived to achieve. Bright green eyes sparkled, showing the love that she had for the art of it all. She was tall and thin. Stacey was the perfect ballerina to this academy.

"Well at least this time it's for good reason," the redhead said as she looked into the slightly shattered door's window at the ranting teacher. "She's a bitch in the first place."

The two had respect for each other but that didn't mean that they talked about things and had crying fests. They were athletes. Athletes in a sport that paired the two of them against each other, Stacey in all of her liveliness and Elizabeth with her precision, each other's foils in every way. So all that Stacey received for her comment was a nod from Elizabeth as she hoisted her bag higher on her shoulder and the two left each other be. That was the way it had always been. One would say something and the other would end the conversation. On the bright side, Stacey had no problem with Elizabeth being mutant. Still, that little fact wasn't going to bond them together as friends right off the bat. They were competitors.

Any normal human would have been worn out but Elizabeth kept running. She loved the professor for allowing her to use the danger room for a simple jog. She wasn't sure how long she'd been running but she knew it was far longer than any human or most mutants could last. Her breathing was normal and steady and she thanked the dancing gods that she had amazing endurance. Running allowed her to think. Thinking kept her from destroying things and the professor knew that. She'd come back cussing, angrier than most anyone in the school had seen. Her mind was slipping away when the professor threw her in there and told her to run. His abilities came in handy for something's she realized. He kept her from destroying things. After another few miles she assumed she slowed to a stop. Sweat clung to her body, mixing with the sweat from dancing. Standing in the now sterile room in only shorts, sports bra, and tennis shoes made her shiver slightly.

"Everyone can see you're pissed," Samantha's voice rang from the door to her sister's room. "Just tell me, did the new teacher say something?"

Elizabeth just glared at the younger girl before pushing her out of her way. She didn't have time for this. She didn't have time for any of this. She should be dancing. She should be training. She should be doing anything but standing around talking about idiots who didn't deserve to live. She felt the anger spike again and screamed in frustration before closing the door. The splintering sound that followed made her swear even louder. She couldn't do anything right today. She needed to calm down somehow. Dancing hadn't worked. Running hadn't worked. The cold shower wasn't currently working.

The cold water did nothing for dispelling the hot anger than ran through her veins. It did cool down her body temperature though. Letting the ice flow over her body she found herself trying to think, trying to stop from overreacting. It wasn't a big deal. It was just a bad day. She'd fire her teacher and hire a new one. That was just how it always went. She'd dance, she'd get pissed, she'd dance some more, she'd fire whoever made her mad. Yeah, that was something she got from her mom. Looking down at her naked body she found her anger being replaced by self consciousness. She looked at the scars that littered her pale skin, the veins on her legs, the stretch marks, and the faint sparkle that could even be seen through her skin. A constant reminder that she wasn't normal that seemed to outshine everything marring her body for eternity, as if it wasn't bad enough just being mutant.

Slowing down Elizabeth sat on the steps in the entry way, watching the people move by her and run about to class. Most avoided her after her nice little display that morning and she didn't blame them, she didn't want to even look at herself. Who would want to? She'd acted without thinking. Her entire mind had been on the attack and on the kill. She was a monster. She knew she was the monster her mother had always thought her to be. She could only mask it with grace and elegance for so long. Deep inside her lived a monster, waiting until a moment of weakness to break free from the bonds that she used to trap it. She knew the bonds wouldn't hold forever.

"Feeling better?" the voice was kind but once again Elizabeth hadn't sensed her. She must be getting rusty or something! No one ever snuck up on her! "You seemed to be a bit out of sorts this morning."

Looking up at the woman Elizabeth called a weather witch, she found herself looking into eyes that held worry and concern. Ororo Munro was worried about her! Well, something's aren't as they seem apparently!

"I don't know what came over me," Elizabeth admitted, her voice soft and all the ice melted from it. "It was like I no longer existed and instead there was a monster controlling me."

She saw raw worry flash through the older woman's eyes and instantly regretted saying anything. She should have just kept her mouth shut. She never kept her stupid mouth shut. She'd say something and make everyone hate her. She'd let something slip that put everything in jeopardy. She listened to the murmured apology and watched the older woman slip away as quickly as possible. She couldn't mistake the look in her eyes as she ran. Fear was all that Elizabeth could see in the weather witch's face.

"No one understands," she whimpered to herself, hands pulling at her hair slightly even though the strands wouldn't break. Pain and then release as she felt her claws release, the feeling of cool blood running down her hands as the tension released. Then she started to shake as she dropped her hands to her side, she couldn't get her medicine and she would bleed out if she didn't. She needed her medicine. It was in her pocket.

More blood flowed from her hands as she tried to keep from bleeding on the floor. She couldn't find anyone and she was becoming dizzy, faint even. The room was becoming brighter, spinning. Everything was fading. Everything was tipping. She was fading and she was dying.

"Help," she whispered before darkness hit her and she collapsed to the ground.

The sound of beeping and hushed voices welcomed Elizabeth back along with the rush of a throbbing headache. The room smelled way too sterile for her likes and she almost gagged at the taste in her mouth. She hated waking up after her spells. Maybe one day her blood loss would be way too much for her body to handle and she'd die on the floor. Maybe that day would come some day. Trying to sit up, she found she couldn't move and panic set in. Struggling against the bindings she felt the same pain and release as her claws once again ripped through her skin. Twice in a day that she'd lost control, at least she assumed it was the same day.

"Woah," she heard the calming voice and caught the scent at the same time she felt hands hold her down. "You're far too weak to move. It would be beneficial for you to lie still and not to let these things out."

Her body slouching again the male she found herself fading again, she didn't have the strength to fight against him or the massage that he was giving her hands. Her claws sunk back into her skin and she felt the needle enter her arm. Almost instantly she could feel the muscles and skin regrow and scar over like nothing had ever happened. But she could never forget it was far too painful of a thing to forget.

"Quite the ability you've got there," she could focus now and could see that the man was blue. She wasn't sure if she was seeing things from blood loss or if the man holding her was actually blue. "Similar to other's I've seen but different in a wonderful way."

"What?" she asked, sarcasm practically dripping from her voice as she continued. "I bleed out from diamond exposure?"

The man looked at her as she stayed seated on the table. He was sitting she now noticed, he wasn't holding her any more. She must be out of it. Her wits were slowly returning to her and she began to notice things. Like the fact that she'd broken her bonds that had been holding her to the table. Like the fact that there was an IV in her arm with a bag of what looked like blood transfusing into her body. Like the fact that she was in her second home while she'd attended school, the medical ward.

"Oh no," he said as he moved to check to see that the blood was working properly in her body. "Your bones are purely made of diamonds yet your body functions normally in the absence of a healing factor. It's quite amazing. Oh forgive me; I have forgotten to introduce myself. My name is Henry McCoy but you may call me Hank."

"Elizabeth," she said, her hands itching to rip the IV from her arm as she sat there. She hated hospitals or even offices; they all smelled the same to her. The all smelled too sterile for her tastes. "Just Elizabeth."

The guy, Hank, she now realized actually was blue. She could see the fur that ran along his skin, almost like that of a cat's she figured, shaded a hue of bright blue. He reminded her of the bubble gum she'd once chewed when she was younger. That was probably a bad analogy but with her mind as fogged up as it was that was all Elizabeth could think about. Her entire body felt like lead and she couldn't imagine moving even as he told her not to. She'd never felt this way, not once. Sure, she'd constantly dealt with the sluggish feeling after having to get transfusions but this time it was stronger.  
"Woah," she was about to protest the arms around her as the room spun but couldn't find her voice. Slowly everything started fading and the only thing she could feel was the cold, metal table pressing into her face and something soft and warm holding her.

If she had a tail it would've been swishing by now. It was all her fault. She shouldn't have said anything to her older sister. Maybe then she wouldn't have freaked out and she wouldn't have let her control slip. But she'd never seen Elizabeth look so weak, bleeding and unconscious. Her face had been so pale, paler than usual, and she looked almost dead. The blood sliding down her claws and hands as some man carried her through as quickly as possible. Samantha knew deep down that it wasn't her fault but still. To see her sister bleeding and dying made her want to throw up or worse cry. Adler women didn't cry. At least they didn't cry in public. They didn't show weakness but seeing her sister like that. She couldn't focus in the training. She couldn't focus in class. Eventually her teachers just gave up for the day.

Looking into the sterile area she felt a knot grown in her stomach as she saw her sister laying on the metal table with tubes running through her. She could remember when she was younger seeing the exact same thing when the attacks first started and the memories just made it worse. Leaning against the doorframe for some type of support she choked back her tears as she watched her sleeping sister. How peaceful the older Adler child looked as she appeared to be dying, the thought of how peaceful she would appear dead unwontedly slipped into Samantha's mind and a tear slid down her face.

"She's stable," the voice made Samantha jump, her hand going to her heart before she turned to look at the man who'd spoke. The first thing that registered was the blue fur that covered his body. The second was how short she felt next to him. "She just needs to rest but she'll be fine tomorrow. We had quite a scare there. Her body rejected his blood for a while there but eventually she came around." He turned from the screen he'd been staring at the entire time she'd been there. "You two look just a like you know."

Samantha shook her head before looking at her sleeping sister. "No we don't," she said softly. "I look like our mother and she looks like our father. We look nothing alike."

"You have the same nose," the man said with a shrug before turning back to the computer.

A gasping noise could be heard and again Samantha jumped, watching as her sister seemed to come back to life. Her pale hand pulled the breathing machine from her mouth and slowly she sat up before the blue man helped her pull herself up. Elizabeth's pale blue eyes slid to her sister and instantly turned cold.

"You go and squeal to mom," she said, her voice sounding harsher than ever. "I'll kill you even if it kills me."

Samantha froze and didn't even stay to hear what the blue man was saying to her sister. She just ran. When Elizabeth made a threat, she meant it. It killed Samantha to know that her older sister had just threatened to kill her. Even worse was the fact that she didn't trust her at all. Then again why would she? All that Samantha had done was everything that their mother had ever wanted her to. That wasn't good in Elizabeth's eyes. Being Allison's watchdog didn't make good standings with the oldest daughter but Samantha hadn't thought that she'd hold that big of a grudge. Sure Elizabeth had never gotten along with the Adler matriarch but she'd figured that was where the grudge ended. That the anger she held was only for their mother. Apparently she was wrong.

Sliding down a wall somewhere, she'd gotten herself lost on one of the school's many floors, she ran her hands through her hair. Yes she and Elizabeth hadn't gotten along in a long, long time but things had never gotten so bad that they would threaten each other. As hard as she tried, she started crying at the thought. Was her sister really that far lost? Was their mother right about her? Elizabeth couldn't just be a monster left in that shell of a body. There had to be more to her than that. Samantha knew deep down that there had to be.

The feeling of a hand stroking her back made her almost jump but through her tears she didn't care anymore. Tear streaked eyes found their way to look up at the brunet who was smiling down at her. She didn't know her but the girl was kind enough to stop and care for her. That's all that mattered.

"She didn't mean it," the girl said sitting down next to her. Samantha tipped her head at the girl, how did she know? "Sorry," the girl seemed to stop to clarify. "Telepath. I can't really control it yet. But trust me, she didn't mean it. She's just stressed out and tired. I'm Kara, Samantha. Sorry again."

Samantha found herself smiling through her tears at the girl. The fact that this Kara could read her mind was actually pretty cool. Maybe this place wasn't too bad.

"She meant it," the feral said as she laid her hands on her arms.

"We all get that way sometimes. It's part of being a feral."

"Feral?" The word sounded foreign to Samantha as she watched the girl hold out her hands and her nails grew.

"We're more animal than human."


	5. Chapter 5: Anger

Even as she stretched she could feel the pull of pain in her muscles, groaning in protest against the wish to dance. Her body begged for sleep and rest but after four days in the medical ward the only thing she could think about was getting her body back into shape. She needed to dance; she needed to be ready for the auditions to come. She couldn't be out of shape and she couldn't lose. Not this time. So she pulled herself up despite the screaming pain and took the position, shaking as she did so. Rising up and onto her toes, she pulled her body straight and proper before falling to the ground.

Red flashed before her eyes as anger flooded her veins. A growl of frustration ripped from her throat as she slammed her hand on the floor before realizing her mistake, again. With a sigh she pulled herself up, unsteadily, trying to come up with how she was going to explain this. She'd once again destroyed something in her anger. This time it being her floor rather than a piece of furniture. Of all things she could have broken, it just had to be her floor. Running a hand over her face with a sigh and a groan, how was she going to explain this one?

She was standing behind the door before the person even knocked, having heard the footfalls from down the hall. The person had been pacing outside her room for a little while. There was only one knock before she threw the door open. The person she faced was actually two and it bothered her that once again the man, Logan, evaded her without her knowing he was there. She tipped her head to the unshaven man before actually looking over him as she hadn't before. At that point she'd been far too annoyed to even care at all about what he looked like. Thick sideburns covered his face and dark hair appeared to be curled into devil horns. Body-wise he appeared somewhat muscular but she knew from her years here that she was probably wrong. Still he held himself in a way that said he was going to bolt the next second he got. He reminded her of a trapped animal.

"And you boys wanted what?" she asked, no annoyance or even curiosity in her tone at all. If anything she sounded tired or possibly bored in speaking to them. Both of those emotions were true at the moment.

"The professor sent us to get you."

Although she was staring directly at Logan, it was the other man who spoke and she turned her attention. Unlike the two ferals, this man's power she could smell in a sense. He smelled of earth and trees, almost like Central Park when it was in full bloom. He was smiling to her and she almost felt drawn to smile back. This confused her, she never smiled to guys ever.

"Look, kid," the gruffness of Logan's voice solidified her response to a scowl rather than a smile. "If you're coming, move. If not, you can go back to prancing around in tutus."

Sighing, she could feel the blood loss still lagging in her body. "Again," she said, her voice tired and worn. "I'm not a kid. Just give me a second."

Turning the stereo behind her off she turned back to the two guys to follow them wherever they led her. The guy was much smaller than Logan, in height and size. Still, he had similar dark hair but it wasn't overly gelled into whatever form the other feral was going for. All in all, Elizabeth's evaluation from where she walked behind them was fairly positive to this unnamed guy and fairly negative to the feral Logan.

"I don't believe that I know your name," she said as she caught up to step with the unknown male. "My name is Elizabeth."

"Elizabeth Adler," he said with a smile. "Yeah, I've seen one of your performances before. A beautiful performance I must say. I'm Jake. Jake Weston."

Elizabeth started to smile at him but the smirk on Logan's face almost made her want to strangle him. What the hell was his problem? Didn't he have anything better to do? Why did the professor have to send him to get her? Speaking of which, why did the professor have to send anyone to get her? Couldn't he just ring her anytime he wanted through her brain? Headaches are wonderful ways of communication, the next cell phone if you were a telepath.

"So why exactly are we meeting Xavier?" she finally asked, finally glaring at Logan when he made a noise much like a choking sound. She hoped he choked. It'd do her a favor. "Or why did he have to send someone to get me? Couldn't he have just given me a headache?"

Jake just shrugged and gave her a sympathetic look as they kept walking. Just as Jake had, Logan gave no response and that included any looks. The only thing she could wonder was if they were going on some mission somewhere. That would be a problem though, she'd told the professor she wasn't going anywhere on any missions. She'd rather bleed out than know that she had to have the feral standing before her's blood flowing through hers as her body lost blood. It was just too risky on her behalf and on his. How much blood could this one person have? Because it seemed like all the blood in her body by now should have been his.

She didn't sleep at all. Then again she never slept. Sitting up in the bed that the school had given her, she ran her fingers through her dark hair trying to get some idea of where she was. It was the same thing every morning, wake up and debate killing someone. That's just the way life went when you were feral.

The mirror in front of her bed lied to her by showing a sweet looking girl that wouldn't hurt you ever rather than the true monster that lie beneath the surface. Did the others feel this way? Did they constantly feel like they had to work to subdue the bloodlust flowing through their bodies? She was almost tempted to ask Hank or even Logan how they handled it. Heck Kara was just as tempted to go and look for the girl she'd met yesterday, Samantha, or even search for her older sister. There were so many ferals around yet no one seemed to have the answer or a solution.

Her mind raced as she tried to find a solution to the pain that was flooding her system. There had to be something that could keep her from completely losing it. She'd gotten so close in her training to controlling herself. Now here she was practically losing herself to what? Nothing? Yeah that's basically what it was. She needed to sleep but she couldn't. The dreams were just too terrible. She wasn't even human in them. She was the hellcat they'd named her for. The anger that had been pumping through her veins and the lust that had settled there remained even in her waking hours and she wasn't sure just how to control it.

Forgetting the whole holding back thing, she felt a scream rip from her throat but the scream was anything but human. The mixture of human and feline tones made her throat sting. Nails pierced her skin and as she watch the blood run down her neck in the mirror, a sly smile and laugh escaped her lips as she watched the pin pricks heal instantly, a stain of red being the only sign they were even there at one point.

"We had a deal old man," Elizabeth's voice was a growl as she slammed her hands on the professor's desk, a satisfying crack hitting the ears of those around her. "You said that if I came back with my sister, I wouldn't have to do this again. That was the only reason why I traded one hell hole for another."

"After your last outbreak I'm afraid that I've had to reevaluate things, Elizabeth," his voice was calm and it made her anger flare up even more. She could smell the fear in one of the men behind her but that only fueled her on even more. "I thought that you had said that you'd gotten those under control. You'd made so much progress the last time you were here. Now I understand that your father-"

"My father," she said interrupting him before he could say another word. "Is not a part of this conversation, so don't drag his dead ass into it." Her eyes felt as though they were bleeding red and even though he was showing no signs of the fear that was flooding through his veins she could smell it coming off Xavier in waves. Barely even turning, she pointed to Jake without looking at him. "Get him out of here."

She didn't even have to say it before the younger of the two men fled from the room. Her eyes shifted to Logan's and Elizabeth could almost see what looked like recognition settling there. He'd seen this before and instantly her anger stilled. Who had he seen act like this? Who had he seen break?

"Elizabeth," the professor's voice broke whatever trance she'd slipped into when her eyes had met the other feral's. "I just want you to train with Logan a little. He's got much more experience with this than anyone in this place. If anyone can help you sort out whatever it is that you're going through it'll be him."

"Oh what," she said, snapping yet again. "You aren't just going to invade my mind like you did when I was younger and fix everything, put blocks up. News flash old man, I remember." Her palms almost hit the desk again but her body was stopped by strong arms pulling her back. "I remember all of it."

Samantha still wasn't quite sure what power her sparring partner had. All she knew was that it was taking everything that she had to stay upright when fighting him. Unlike her sister, who could at least probably use some of her ballet experience to work with her, Samantha had chosen piano. Playing piano definitely couldn't help her now. Falling once again, she watched the guy smile before helping her up. He seemed perfectly normal and she figured that he wasn't even using his powers against her and for the first time she felt more like the mouse than the cat.

"You're doing fairly well," she heard the voice and turned quickly to face the girl. "Against Bobby? I mean he isn't using his powers but he is an X-Man." Her face turned to a smile as she extended her hand to the feral. "My name's Kitty. What's yours?"

She look cautiously at the hand and when she took it she prayed to a God she didn't even believe in that her claws wouldn't extend. "Samantha," and it took everything to keep from adding Adler afterwards. "What's an X-Men?"

"Oh yeah that's right," the brunet said with a smile. "You're new here. An X-Man is basically someone who is mutant like us but protects the humans. Then again I'm and X-Woman so I would know."

Her tone almost made Samantha cringe. It was the same almost mocking tone that she'd used before when it came to talking to her sister and other people that she felt were below her. Was this how it felt to be on the outs of society? She'd never experienced it before. She'd been the one doing the mocking, not the one receiving it.

"That's pretty cool," she said instead of what she was really thinking. "I think my sister was once something like that before everything happened. Maybe you know her. Her name's Elizabeth?"

She watched with satisfaction as the girl shrunk back and the smell of fear entered the room. Apparently, around here, her sister had the same reputation that Samantha had back home. You don't cross an Adler girl. One will rip your reputation to shreds and apparently the other would just settle for ripping you to shreds.

Hands clasped over her ears as an almost familiar ranting and screaming hit her ears. The sound of the door opening and slamming brought hers and every other person in the room's attention straight to the gigantic man that she'd seen carrying her sister. That's when she caught the person he was once again carrying. It was Elizabeth. People started running in every direction, leaving the place and instantly Samantha found herself being pulled out of the place.

"It's better not to get in Logan's way," Bobby's voice said once they were in a secure location. "Once his mind is set there's nothing that can stop him. Not even your sister."

Samantha turned to face him, her eyes cold as steel despite the warm tone. No one said that they couldn't stop her sister. If there was one thing that she knew about the older Adler it was that she could make even the worst killer think twice about what he was doing. She could put anyone to shame. She could get secrets out of people that they swore never to tell anyone. Most of the people she knew from her inner circle were scared of her older sister and she wouldn't have it any other way.

"You obviously don't know Elizabeth all that well," she said her voice flat as she watched the two of them on the monitor.

"And you do?"

A growl ripped from her lips the second she was pinned to the ground. No one ever pinned her and lived to talk about it. Her pale eyes flashed before she rolled the man over, her glare set on him as she dug her claws into his side. Unlike her, he would heal but the second her blood touched his she started healing. She was planning on using that little secret to her advantage.

With a roar he threw her off of him and she landed on her feet. She wasn't a cat like her sister was but she still had grace. Ballerinas weren't cumbersome after all. She lunged and slashed his arm before he grabbed her by the back of her shirt.

"I liked this shirt," he said with a growl as she struggled. This wasn't about calming her down anymore and both of them knew that. It was about something much, much different. Landing a kick to his side all she heard was him grunt before she let her claws stab into his hand.

Landing on her feet when he dropped her she smiled at her already healing hands. The fact that she was fighting him meant that she would keep healing every time their blood touched. His confused expression at her now healed hands made her laugh.

"What?" she asked almost playfully. "You weren't expecting that were you?" The circle that she was walking around him was slow as she rubbed her bloody hands. "See it took years to figure it out. I never had a healing factor and so I would bleed and bleed from the hemophilia. The wondered if injecting me with a healing factor would work. Most didn't but the second my blood would touch yours it became pure. So you became my life force."

It seemed to sink in with him almost slowly as he backed away. His blood was her only life force, the only thing keeping her alive. As the door closed, she collapsed to the ground, surveying the damage he'd caused. Two ribs were broken, she estimated, from being thrown across the room. Her side was bleeding from where his claws had hit but all she had to do was touch the blood on her hands to fix that. Holding her injured side she walked slowly. There had been more damage done to her than she'd expected or even realized.

"She'll die," the voice was gruff and caused Samantha to pause on her way back to her room. "Why didn't you tell me that that's where my blood was going? You were trying to keep her alive for some reason. Why?"

Her breath caught in her chest. They were talking about Elizabeth, her only sister, and it didn't sound good. They'd known for years about her sister's hemophilia, she'd nearly bled to death after getting cut when she was seven. Samantha could count the many hospital runs that they had to keep making because of something as stupid as a scratch. She'd just figured that it would be a part of her sister that they could slowly control with medicine.

"Her body started rejecting the usual treatments when she was very young," the voice was calm and instantly Samantha could place it as the man who came to get her. "Her father realized that there was a chance that she'd have his mutation so he contacted me. He worried that her treatments would stop working. So he brought her here when her hemophilia kicked in. She was only seven."

Samantha's back hit the wall as she let what they were saying settle in. She'd been at the hospital. She'd been there when her sister was lying on the bed dying. She'd watched the doctors give her medicine. She'd seen the way her sister had reacted to that same medicine. She'd lain in the bed as her sister would tell her that everything would be okay, that she'd be better soon.

"We started testing to see if there was anything that could be done otherwise. We debated about seeing if a healer could do anything about it and it failed," he sounded tired as he spoke, almost as though thinking about it pulled all the energy from his body. "With her parents' permission we began other methods. We tried using Hank's blood but her body began to reject it quickly. It only worked for a few months before she began getting sick and ended up back here with us. Then we tried Victor's. We'd managed to capture him for a while and again it worked for a while. And then we found you or rather you found us. Your blood was a perfect match to hers. You were the only person who could keep her living."

"Did she know?"

"Bits and pieces. We blocked the memories as soon as they'd form on both girls. We had hoped that her sister's mutation would kick in so that it would be a better substitute but her blood isn't compatible. The process was painful Logan. We didn't have a choice. She was a human experiment and she hated every minute of it. But her mother insisted that we fix her daughter and when we couldn't she turned her hatred on her. Neither girl remembers the tests."

"But she said she remembered?"

"Yes, she does remember but we'll take care of that," his voice still sounded tired. "Neither girl needs to remember this. No child should have to endure what they were put through."


End file.
